Somerset Skills Bank is an exciting initiative run in partnership with Spark Somerset that aims to encourage more businesses and their employees to donate their time and expert skills to support local charities.
Research from Volunteering Matters shows that 85% of employees who volunteer feel more positive about their employer overall, and studies show that volunteering can deliver many benefits including improved physical and mental health.
There are hundreds of amazing local charities in Somerset who can benefit hugely from what you and your staff have to offer.
Whether you're a HR professional, marketing specialist, Health & Safety expert or IT guru, and whether you can give half a day or want to make a long-term commitment, we can match you to the right volunteering opportunity and make it easy and rewarding to give back.
There are lots of ways you can get involved, including:
- Expert Skills Workshops: if you can spare a few hours, you can deliver a workshop in your specialism to help upskill local charities.
- Become a project mentor: we want to build a community of skilled volunteers who could give their time on an ad-hoc basis or over a short period of time to mentor charities through specific projects or issues. This may range from how to improve their finance systems, create a new website, or navigate an aspect of charity law
- Become a charity Trustee: many local charities face huge struggles recruiting Trustees – particularly those specialist skills such as Law, HR, Marketing and Finance. By becoming a Trustee, you'll bring new skills into the voluntary sector and, whether you're an aspiring leader or already leading in a business, you'll have the chance to gain new insights and experience to support your career.
Get involved
- If you're a local business and would like to get involved or talk to us about how you can do more to support local charities, email Laura Blake, Development Director, at Somerset Community Foundation
- To sign up as an individual employee to volunteer in Somerset please fill in this form
